muslim suspended for wearing veil

[brother_manuel]

what do you guys think of this??

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/3681938.stm

i think the tribunal gave a verdict that she is not allowed to wear the veil whilst teaching.

personally i do think it is a discrimination to their religion however i do understand why some people would disagree with it, especially in certain employments.

 

[fadis]

Arrrgghhh! It's not religion, it's culture. An anti-women culture!

Sorry, I'll come back later with a proper, articulate response to this nonsense.

 

[bouncakdog]

Personally I think that only the Lone Ranger and Zorro should be allowed to wear masks. (And they were both fictional men!)

 

[Christizzle]

With you there. I actually find the whole thing rather offensive.

Why do only women wear the veil, and often along with it heavy, formless robes?

It renders women into objects. Might be an odd thing to say, but it makes all women look alike, steals their identity from them in public and in private unless they're with only family or other women.

Supposedly its to help men resist temptation but honestly, if women need to wear a veil to help men resist temptation then something is seriously wrong with those men. I've seen women in bikinis, even naked, and managed only to think a few lustful thoughts about them and sometimes none. Is it really believed that making all women into shapeless blobs will somehow make both them and men more virtuous?

 

[RODAguilera]

I have no problem with any dress code that involves hijab (sp?) or otherwise but i draw the line at the veil. I definatly wouldn't allow it at work. Saying that LilB has as good point, why is there really a need?

 

[melkaylo]

on the Jeremy Vine show on radio 2 the other day someone was saying its becoming a way for young muslims to exert their individuality and power over other people.

An intimidation technique.

 

[bhclover14]

I'm thinking in this instance in particular it's the needs of the children that come first. She works in a school so should really go by their rules etc. The lea didn't carry out the correct greivance procedures, hence her receving some compensation for her upset.
This is a different situation to ,say one in which the veil would have no real impact upon her colleagues. Her primary job is as a teaching assistant, and if the children she is working with are worried/frightened by the veil then perhaps she should be asked to remove it.
But, on the other hand you might say that in today's culture, it's no bad thing for children to encounter different religions and approaches to life.

 

[LineN]

Wearing the veil is not Islamic its an Arab custom and is not even compulsory in Islam although opinions on this do differ.

Personally I reckon if your job entails lots of face to face communication then you cant wear a veil and your in the wrong job.

If people choose to wear a veil that’s fine but they have to accept that it limits their choice of profession.

Imagine if everyone wore veils men women and children all of us how absurd would that look.

 

[YUHHhhghjg]

If I remember correctly, wasn't it because the children couldn't understand what she was saying?

 

[OweN]

i wonder would they freak out if i wore a ski mask in a curry house???

 

[shellrae007]

If it's the same story [I can't tell because I don't have Javascript and that link won't work] - The woman who wouldn't remove her ninja mask got £1000 compensation for this incident.

However the woman who recently got fired from an airline company for not removing her crucifix [It offends Muslims] has recieved no compensation.

I'll have to find a link to the Christian woman. It was in the Daily Mirror earlier this week.

 

[branddxb]

The compensation wasn't over the veil thing, it was because the LEA failed to handle her dismissal properly.

 

[sarshay]

This story seems to be getting more space in the news than anything else at the moment.

My opinion, teaching with your face covered can not be good for the kids. Some reports have said this woman removed her veil infront of the children and only wore it infront of male teachers. Otherwise what business is it of mine what people wear?

I do think it was out of order for Government ministers to start moaning about this in the first place. How long has Jack Straw been an MP? he has a large Muslim population in his constituency and must have been meeting veiled women for years. Only now that were involved in two controversial wars with Muslim countries he mentions it. I really dont think this story should have got the attension it did.

 

[stewlesss]

I could be mistaken, but I was also taught that it is indeed to help men resist temptation. It annoys me greatly too. Personally I don't see why women should be forced to cover themselves up and live with a load of stupid rules in order to help men deal with what is essentially *our* problem. If we "suffer" the lust, and we don't want to, why should the women have to make all the effort to "solve" the problem for us?

I'll admit I know very little about Islam / Arab culture, so if I'm way off here, someone please feel free to chime in and correct me!

Anyway, back to the original topic, it's a tricky subject. I'd be tempted to say that the needs of the children to be able to communicate with their teacher effectively outweigh the desire of the woman to wear the veil. However, others might argue that one's religious beliefs take precedence over mundane matters.

 

[Vinu]

Maybe a better solution to prevent men suffering 'temptation' would be to issue all women with tasers to wear.



If her religious beliefs take precedence over her job performance, then she needs a new job. If a pacifist is accepted into the army as a soldier, something's gone very wrong. If you can't do your job because of your beliefs either compromise those beliefs, or let someone with some common sense do it instead.

 

[nuswimguy]

When it boils down to it she was employed in a professional job, therefore she should act in a professional manner and that applys to everyone regardless of their backgrounds.

The job was outlined to her on application, if she felt she could not adhere to the terms and conditions then she should not have accepted the job.

Thats the bottom line really.

Same as the policemean who refused to guard that embassy, if you think an aspect of the job you are doing is unacceptable then don't apply for it.

 

[BallSac]

I wish I'd noticed this, but someone pointed out to me that maybe the BBC have inadvertantly hit the nail on the head...

 

[flipflopp194]

Does it?

The woman was suspended, not fired. The official reason was for wearing non-uniform regulation jewelry, nothing to do with religion.

 

[Samuel]

From here

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/...6147122,00.html

A committed Christian said she planned to take legal action against her employers British Airways after the airline ruled that displaying her crucifix breached uniform rules.

Heathrow check-in worker Nadia Eweida claims she was effectively "forced" to take unpaid leave after refusing to remove the Christian symbol, which is about the size of a five pence piece.

Meanwhile, the airline said that items such as turbans, hijabs and bangles could be worn "as it is not practical for staff to conceal them beneath their uniforms".

Miss Eweida, 55, who has been with BA for seven years, plans to sue her employer - who she considered to be "a very reputable company" - for religious discrimination.

She said she had just undergone training on respecting and understanding other people's beliefs with BA when she was asked to remove the cross.

She said she sought permission to wear it from management, but this was not forthcoming.

Following a meeting with her managers in September, she was told in a letter: "You have been sent home because you have failed to comply with a reasonable request.

"You were asked to cover up or remove your cross and chain which you refused to do.




"British Airways uniform standards stipulate that adornments of any kind are not to be worn with the uniform."
Miss Eweida, from Twickenham, West London, said she wears the cross because of her deeply-held religious beliefs. She said: "I belong to Jesus - one body, one spirit, one baptism."

 

[BUNCHES8]

That is somewhat ironic!